Up Against It (The Higher You Fly, The Further You Fall)
by TheResurrectionist
Summary: John deals with the YED, not knowing the stakes. Story has been sitting in my computer for almost a year... PLEASE REVIEW


A/N This has been sitting around my computer for a while…..Anyone mind if I post? :) Reviews are prayed for. Seriously.

John glanced at the moon above him as he stood by the side of an abandoned warehouse. It was a cool, autumn evening. Perfect for his plan. Taking in a deep breath, he turned around. In front of him were his sons, unloading the back of a sleek, black car with a practiced ease. Handing supplies and guns to each other, they were so in sync it wasn't even funny.

He wouldn't tell them-couldn't-what he was planning. It was between him and the monster inside that warehouse. They thought they were here for a normal, low class demon exorcism. John hated lying to his boys, but at this point, it was necessary. It seemed like a lifetime since he had last seen Mary, his beautiful wife.

His life had been grim since her death, sweetened only by the small moments when he could see a flash of her in Sam's eyes, or when Dean smiled.

Their life wasn't normal. He knew that. In fact, he made sure it hadn't been. No one needed to hear what he'd done to get here, but he knew it all came down to this. He knew he probably wasn't coming out of this alive, but he hoped to God he'd take the evil bastard demon that stole his Mary from him all those years ago.

Sam and Dean Winchester's thoughts weren't as far away from John's as they unloaded the Impala. Both brothers knew something was going to happen. They might not acknowledge it out loud, but a look in the other's eyes confirmed what both had been thinking.

The tall floppy haired hunter grabbed a shotgun from his brother and threw it to their Dad. He caught it with ease that spoke a million different worlds, but that was another story.

Sam usually complained and argued the whole way to the height of the hunt, but today was oddly silent. Dean, however, tried to cover the awkward silences and glances with his usual, witty banter with his younger brother.

"Hey, Sam, what does an evil chicken lay?"

"What, Dean, this is so stupid…"

"Deviled eggs! Get it?" he said, forced laugh bubbling out of him.

Sam put on an annoyed face. "Dean, can we just focus on the hunt?"

With an annoyed sigh, he turned to his father with an expectant look on his face.

"Dad, are you sure this is just a low level demon?"

"Sam, I told you what it was. Why do you keep asking me?"

"I dunno, something's…off."

"Off? Sam, keep your mouth shut and follow your orders. Be more like your brother, for once, God."

Hurt, Sam turned back around to his brother. Even though he was twenty-three now, he never seemed to escape being compared to his brother. The AMAZING Dean, who could never do anything wrong, and yet whenever Sam did something good, his father barely blinked.

He thought it was stupid, that he couldn't get over this even once he went away to college. It seemed like his Dad had never understood him. He rubbed his hands together and grabbed his gun. Turning around, he saw his brother doing the same. It was show time.

Entering the warehouse, John glanced around expectantly. This was where Bobby had said the omens all pointed. It was a basic, empty warehouse, save for a few boxes in the right hand corner. But there was nothing else. The YED should be here. Even if the warehouse was empty, that didn't mean they were alone.

"Eyes open, boys!" He said.

They all pulled out their guns and sighted around the warehouse.

"Dad?" asked Sam

"What?" he growled.

"Dad, really, something's not right."

"Sam, I told you to quit with tha-"

"Dad, look!" came Dean's shout from across the warehouse.

John spun on his heel and looked where Dean was pointing.

Grey smoke was funneling in through a cracked window on the eastern side of the warehouse. Soon, it began to form a human looking figure.

"Dad, what is that?" Asked Dean suspiciously.

John didn't answer, but put himself in front of the boys as the figure began to speak.

"Well, John. It's certainly been a while. Or not. Oh, and look! Two beautiful boys, and Dean looks so much like Mary, don't you think?" He said gleefully, eyes flashing yellow. His meat suit looked like a harmless fifty-year-old guy, but John knew better.

Sam and Dean were shell-shocked. They knew who this creature was. But why was their Dad talking to it like they were doing business, of all things?

They turned their eyes to John, questions overflowing in the silence.

"Dad, what did you do?"

"Dad! That's the demon that killed mom! Why are we TALKING to it? And not SHOOTING it?"

John ignored their protests and looked at the demon.

"Then we have a deal?" He asked.

The Yellow Eyed Demon nodded. "But one last thing…"

John's face twisted. "No, we agreed to one year. Nothing more, nothing less. Don't try to change it now!"

The Demon smiled. "John, I wouldn't be a demon if I didn't try to twist things a little."

Waving a hand, Sam and Dean were thrown across the warehouse, landing on the boxes in the corner. Groaning, they stayed down.

John began to look a little nervous.

"Feeling a little scared, there, Johnny? You should be. No one's ever beat me before, and I don't think you're coming out of this one, sugar."

The hunter took a step back. "What are you going to do?"

The YED grinned. "Oh, you'll see."

Everything went black, and John knew no more.

Sam had been in a lot of bad situations, but this one topped all of those. He had KNOWN something was wrong, but he hadn't done anything. Then, of all the people to show, the Yellow Eyed Demon greeted them with a smile and some demonic telekinesis. Yeah, it was a great night.

Rolling off of the boxes, he groaned. Oh, that felt like a couple ribs were broken. He checked on Dean.

I wonder if this was Dad's plan, getting us thrown around again? We're never hunting with him again after this…

Dean was lying on his side a few feet from Sam, not moving, but it looked like his breathing was steady. Blood ran down the side of his face from a small cut above his eyebrow, but as soon as Sam went to check on it, Dean's eyes shot open.

With a gasp, he sat up, looking around until he caught Sam's eyes. They both quietly stood and looked over the boxes at what the Demon was doing to their Dad.

John appeared to be handcuffed, hands behind his back, tied to a chair.

_Where did he get a chair? _Sam thought, but shook it off.

The Demon was pacing in front of John, hands clasped in front of him as he waited for John to wake before he began to speak.

John stirred a few minutes later, eyes opening as he took a deep breath.

"Now, John, I know you and I had that talk a few months ago, and I know what we agreed to. Sadly, this doesn't seem to go well with my boss' grand plan, so we're gonna have to cut a few corners. Starting with you." The Demon held out his hand and a wicked looking knife appeared. He began to trace it down John's chest, stopping right under his ribs.

"Why don't we play a little game? I play with you until you tell me where you got this pretty little gun?" he said, holding up the Colt.

Wait a second; Dad took the Colt with him? I thought he left that with Bobby for safekeeping months ago!

He and Dean shared a look, but kept listening.

The Demon began to press with his knife, digging it into John's chest with an intense precision.

John screamed, startling Dean and Sam.

I don't think I've ever heard Dad scream before…

thought Sam, really starting to get scared now.

Once the Demon removed the knife, he began to pace around John again.

Dean locked eyes with Sam. They had to stop this, so why not go out with a bang?

They stalked silently behind the boxes until they had a clear shot at the demon. Bullets might not kill it, but it'll hurt like hell.

Dean raised his gun, ready to take the shot when his foot hit the ground a little too hard, making a soft noise. Nevertheless, the Demon heard, and turned to face the boys.

"Oh, hiya boys! I was wondering when ya'll were coming around!"

He raised a hand and dragged them towards him.

"Let's have some fun, shall we?"


End file.
